Author Anonymous
by Grave Bells
Summary: Jeremy's sent to the US for a funeral. Two days after Aelita starts receiving unmarked lyrics every week until he returns. All gathered clues lead to one of the least expected people. JxA.
1. Chapter 1

**Author Anonymous**

**Part 1**

(A/n: Yay. Another Code fic by yours truly. All the 'poems' or 'letters' are lyrics to songs I like… I don't own any of them, unless stated otherwise… Although you'll probably never see that. Anyway, I don't own the songs, or anything from Code Lyoko. Enjoy! Oh, and it's in **Aelita's POV**.)

**Song 1: **'Who's to Say' by Vanessa Carlton. **How Lyrics Were Written: **Broken up and placed in different spots, only half of song used, minor words changed slightly.

**Song 2:** 'Amarantine' by Enya. **How Lyrics Were Written:** Complete song, no changes or edits.

-------------------------------

"How long will you be gone?" I asked.

We were sitting in Jeremy's room, watching him pack up a large suitcase. Jeremy was sent a message earlier that day that his uncle on his mother's side was killed in a car accident involving a drunk driver and 5 other cars. His uncle had lived across the Atlantic in the United States, and was to be buried in Wisconsin; this meant he was to be shipped with his parents and any other relatives in France to the United States for the funeral. He was allowed to stay in his room for the remainder of the school day, and he gladly took up that offer. We had heard nothing of him since, including the time we were gathered in his dorm room as I helped him pack his stuff into suitcases.

"For.. About a month," Jeremy choked, sounding on the verge of tears.

"We can send you the homework, if ya want," Ulrich offered. Jeremy took off his glasses and pressed his palms to his eyelids.

"Please and thank you…" he murmured. "You can e-mail me too.. I'll have my laptop.."

"What about Xana?" Yumi asked, taping her heels on the floor. "How will we know if he attacks?"

"My computer will be on. Just look out for anything suspicious, and check the computer every break." There was a knock at the door. "I have to go… Take care."

Jeremy stood and put his glasses back on. He hugged each one of his friends, each one of us returning the warm embrace. I could swear he gave me a small smile before he turned and dragged his suitcase out into the hallway. Jeremy's father picked up his son's suitcase and walked down the hallway. Just before they turned the corner Jeremy stopped and waved to his 4 friends as we stood in the hallway. He disappeared, and we all stood there as if awaiting his sudden return. When he didn't appear around the corner, Odd turned to the rest of us.

"Want to see if we can catch him as he drives off?" he asked with a shrug.

We arrived at the front of the school just as Jeremy's car turned out of the driveway. I sighed and wrapped my arms around myself. A cold breeze had blow by and chilled the surface of my skin. _He left… I never really said a proper goodbye…_ I turned to my friends.

"Maybe.. I should stay in Lyoko until he gets back," I said, rubbing my upper arms. They exchanged glances.

"No," Yumi stated simply. I blinked.

"You're just about as smart as Einstein; we need you to help us with our homework!" Odd laughed, lifting an index finger like it knew everything.

"Plus it just wouldn't be the same," Ulrich smiled warmly at me and shoved his hands in his pockets. I smiled back and tilted my head. _I guess it's better to have one friend missing than two…_

I was glad the next day was Saturday. I didn't have any school, which meant I could spend the day in Lyoko to make sure Xana didn't take advantage of the situation. Yumi came with me and Ulrich and Odd sat in the Supercomputer room and played cards; or something. I couldn't really tell what they were doing, but Ulrich had brought a pack of cards with them. By the sound of it they were also rough-housing; Yumi had to scold them after it sounded like they broke something.

It was a very long and unproductive day. Yumi and I sat boredly inside and outside of a tower in the Glacier region of Lyoko. We kept ourselves entertained by listening to what was going on back in the factory and racing from an iceberg into the tower. Xana hadn't woken up from our activity, and obviously hadn't noticed Jeremy was no longer there, much less no longer in France. I secretly hoped Xana didn't wake up until Jeremy got back, but I knew he would figure it out somehow and try to take advantage of it.

Ulrich, sounding quite bored, told Yumi and I we needed to come out so they were back at the school by curfew. Yumi suggested she stayed there until morning, but I had to remind her that she lived with her parents and not at the school. She gave in, and both of us were materialized. Hopefully Xana wouldn't attack while we were sleeping.

By the time we made it back to the school I was already missing Jeremy. He'd only been gone 1 day… How was I going to stand a _month_? Even then, a month was an estimate. They might stay longer…. Who knows?

I changed quickly to avoid any chill that could touch me while I did so. It didn't work very well, and since my pajamas were cold it wouldn't have done much anyway. I tried to call Jeremy around 11:00. I hoped it wasn't too early or too late in the United States; I didn't want to wake him. Unfortunately, his phone was off, or dead. I leaned against the wall from my spot on the bed and glanced around the room. I smirked at the picture of Jeremy and I goofing off when I was first materialized on earth….. I picked it off my end table and gazed boredly at it.

Before I knew it Sissi was shaking me from my dreamless slumber. She looked quite annoyed, but handed me a white and gold envelope addressed to my dorm room. I scanned it over silently; there wasn't a return address….

I thanked Sissi, who shrugged and went to probably take a shower, and set it on my dresser. After changing, I took the letter and headed up to Ulrich and Odd's room.

"Nrn….. Aelita, it's Sunday…. Go back to bed.." Ulrich whined, shoving his pillow over his face.

"But this is important!" I urged, tapping the letter with my fingertips.

"What's more important than sleeping?" Odd asked, raising his head slightly.

"I got a letter," I said, turning to him.

"So?" Ulrich asked.

"It's unmarked. Remember what happened last time I opened an unmarked package?"

"Good point…." Odd sighed, tumbling out of his bed. "We'll open it with you…."

"What did I say about volunteering me?" Ulrich moaned, throwing his pillow at his friend. I sighed and put a hand to my forehead.

"Guys…. Please…." I murmured, shaking my head. My male friends apologized and we sat down on Ulrich's bed so he didn't have to get up. Odd yawned and leaned his head over my shoulder to watch as I opened the letter. Ulrich propped his head on his arm. It was a lyric.

_When you're around they tell me slow down,  
We're too young you need to grow  
The speed's the key  
And they don't know who we are.  
And who's to say that we're not good enough?  
And who's to say that this is not our love?_

_Mother don't tell me friends are the ones that I lose  
And sometimes family are the ones you'd choose  
It's too late now  
I hold on to this life I found_

_Who's to say we won't stay together?  
__Who's to say we aren't getting stronger?  
Who's to say I can't live without you?  
Who are they anyway? Anyway they don't know_

_And I try to pretend but I just feel it when we're together  
And if you don't believe me, you never really knew us  
You never really knew.  
__You and I, packin' up my room, we feel alright  
__But they don't know who we are.  
__I shine so bright when you're around_

_--My dear Aelita; Love you._

I blinked. What was this? Some random person just me a letter with a strange lyric and a confession of love… Was this some kind of joke? It's not a very funny one.

The door opened and drew all of our attention away from the typed on paper. Sissi was standing moodily in the doorway, holding another envelope between her index and middle finger. From what I could see, it was addressed to myself… and from… Jeremy!

"Yeah, I keep getting your mail. You might want to do something about it, or I'm just going to throw it away," Sissi said, walking over to the bed to hand me the envelope. She glanced awkwardly at Ulrich before turning and leaving. I watched, then turned back to my new letter. At the top right hand corner was the name Jeremy Belpois. A return address for the United States was listed right below it, and an airmail stamp coveredpart of the envelope.I ripped it open and looked at the handwritten note. It was…. Shorter than I thought it would be.

_Dear Ai,_

_How are you back there? I'm on the plane right now, but when you get this I'll be in Wisconsin and at my destination. I forgot that since I brought my laptop it will alert me when Xana attacks; so I'll probably call you whenever it goes off. Give the others my regards; I miss you all._

_-Jeremy_

_(p.s- Make sure Odd does his homework!)_

The room was in complete silence. I heard Odd mutter something about doing homework and Ulrich shifted to a more comfortable position. He only wrote to say he'd know when Xana attacked? Jerk! Doesn't he ever think of anything else! His uncle was just killed for god's sake, and he's worrying about Xana! When he gets back he's going to have a little piece of my mind.

"……..So…….." Ulrich mumbled, breaking the silence. I heard my stomach complain and I suddenly realized how hungry I was. Odd snorted.

"Let's go have breakfast," he suggested with a smile. "I think it's scrambled eggs and toast this morning!"

The three of us headed down to the cafeteria with the small herd of other hungry students. We were still silent; we're all probably thinking of our own problems. I thought of the letters I had received minutes before and who the first person could have been from. After breakfast, we called Yumi and got together in the park to talk.

"Hm… I have no idea who it could be," Yumi said, handing the lyric back to me.

"We could do a handwriting test of all the guys in school," Odd suggested.

"It's typed, numbskull," Ulrich commented, rolling his eyes.

"Then we can do a typing test…. Or check for fingerprints!"

"There is no such thing as a typing test, Odd, and we don't have finger print spray. Besides, it's just a silly letter; it could have been a dare or something."

"Ulrich is right; this isn't anything to get worked up about," Yumi agreed, plopping herself on a bench. I twisted my face and looked up at the partly cloudy sky.

Nothing exciting happened almost all week. Xana still hadn't woken up, and I was starting to think that Jeremy did something to put the program in hibernation or something. Classes were the usual. Homework loads got considerably smaller, and left only about two assignments to e-mail to Jeremy. It was kinda… boring without him.

And then Friday came. Sissi chucked another gold and white envelope at me during lunch. Luckily I caught it before it landed in my spagetti sauce….. It was just like the one I had received the Sunday before; unmarked, addressed to me, and ending up in Sissi's room. My three other friends gathered around to look at the glossy paper.

_You know when you give your love away  
It opens your heart,  
Everything is new.  
And you know time will always find a way  
To let your heart believe it's true. _

You know love is everything you say;  
A whisper, a word,  
Promises you give.  
You feel it in the heartbeat of the day.  
You know this is the way love is.

_Amarantine...  
__Amarantine...  
Amarantine...  
Love is.  
Love is.  
Love...  
__  
You know love may sometimes make you cry,  
So let the tears go,  
They will flow away,  
For you know love will always let you fly  
...How far a heart can fly away!  
__  
Amarantine...  
Amarantine...  
Amarantine...  
Love is.  
Love is.  
Love...  
__  
You know when love's shining in your eyes  
It may be the stars  
Fallen from above.  
And you know love is with you when you rise,  
For night and day belong to love._

_-------She isn't as beautiful as you, my dear._

I growled softly. Another one! C'mon! Who ever this is needs to get their head examined. But I must say, they write beautiful lyrics. Or are these poems? I'm not sure; I still didn't know much about the different types of poetry. Maybe I should hang these all up in my room…. I can compare them and see what they all have in common; maybe look for hints to who it might be…

"Well we know one thing about this person; they are completely obsessed with Princess, here," Odd snickered, ruffling up my hair. I ignored him and the others as they talked. I'd rather examine this envelope more. I turned it every which way, hoping to find some kind of clue. Eventually, I opened it and looked inside. Hey!

"Look," I said, pulling out a strand of golden hair. The others ceased their speaking and looked at the hair.

"Hair?" Yumi asked, taking it from my fingers.

"Well this'll help us narrow down the options of who it could be," Ulrich said, taking the hair from Yumi. Gee I hope so.

"Who do we know that's a blonde?" Odd asked, taking his turn to look at the hair.

"There's you for one thing," I said blandly, glancing at the boy sitting next to me.

"Except that I don't like you," he responded, then quickly added, "I mean, in that way. I like you as a friend."

"There's Jeremy," Yumi said, taking the hair back. "But he's over seas and if he sent it, it would probably have an airmail stamp on it."

I tuned out my friends once again. Who DID I know that was blonde besides two of my best friends? Really no one; but then again, they could be one of those people that watch you from afar and have a shrine dedicated to you… A stalker, right? Yeah. It could be anyone. Hmm…

I was brought back to reality again when Odd changed the subject.

"Look what I can do!" he exclaimed, peeling a banana and shoving the entire thing in his mouth. The rest of us wrinkled out noses as we watched him eat it in only a couple of chews. The fact that he could FIT that entire thing in his mouth disturbed me.

"That's disgusting, Odd," Yumi said. "Not something to be proud of."

"Well, like, it could be if you're a girl…." Ulrich started. "…. I'm just not even going to go there."

"Go where?" I asked, blinking.

"No where," Ulrich said quickly. "So Yumi, what did you get on your math test?"

I sighed and took the hair back into my possession. I should probably keep it. Ya know… Just in case. I folded it into the thick glossy paper and put that into the envelope. Geezus Odd, stop talking about food! It's keeping me from my thoughts.

"I eat pasta with meatless balls," Odd said, pulling a meatball out of his pasta.

"That was random," Ulrich said, slurping up a couple of noodles.

"Ugh," Yumi made a face of disgust.

"It tastes the same!" Odd argued, popping it in his mouth and chewing proudly.

"If you close your eyes," I snickered, putting my fork in my mouth. My other friends snickered as well. Our group laugh doesn't sound complete with out Jeremy…. I really miss him. I should call him… Or send him an e-mail or something. I wonder why he hasn't written….

I got my answer the next day. And as sure as heck, I got pissed. Don't ask why, it just set me off.

**End o' part one. Hopefully the other parts will be as longer than this, but I'm not promising. See ya next chapter!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Author Anonymous  
****Part 2**

**Lucy McGonagle- **I love Rent too. I was listening to that song while I wrote that part. xD  
**YELLOWCARDFMAFANS- :**P  
**Unknone-** Awesome! Er… What's 'CTS'?  
**Animesoul67-** :D  
**Bighoggi14-** :)

**Song: **'Someone Said Goodbye' by Enya. **How Lyrics Were Written:** Cut one part to make it shorter.

It wasn't my happiest Saturday. Jeremy wrote me a letter of what was going on in Wisconsin. Apparently, he has a new 'friend'. The others looked concerned, so I read them letter to them as I shook.

"_Dear Aelita, Ulrich, Odd, and Yumi,  
__How are all you guys back in France? It's awkward that Xana hasn't attacked yet, isn't it? Anyway, I have something to… well… Tell you.  
__I met a girl at the funeral the other day. She was one of my uncle's neighbors. She offered to take me to ice cream; I couldn't turn her down. She was…. Cute. But… I'm sorry. I just don't want to talk about this. I would just erase and start over, but I don't have an eraser or anything….  
__Anyway, my mom is extending our stay another week. I think she's just trying to make my father and I mad though. We both want to go home… I miss France too much. I mean, the United States is great, but I feel like an outsider. I know I'm pretty good at speaking English; I studied it for a while. But still.. It's just awkward._

_Amarantine,  
__Jeremy._"

"I don't see what the big deal is, Princess. He just found a friend," Odd said, leaning back on my desk chair.

"Yeah, but…!" I tried to think of a good retort, but my mind was blank.

"Wait, 'Amarantine'?" Ulrich asked, turning the letter so he could read it better. "Wasn't that word in the last lyric you got?"

"Hey; you're right!" I exclaimed, staring at the nine letter word. I got on my knees and pulled the glossy letter I got the day before off the wall behind me. I held the two letters side by side. Amarantine… I wonder what that means, and what language is it? This is either a conspiracy, or an awkward coincidence. Either way, I bet Jeremy is perfectly happy with his new 'friend'. He acts all shy about stuff when something romantic happens; I should know. He turns bright red and freezes if my lips even get close to his face… Hm… He always smelt good too… Kinda like a mixture of Chocolate and strawberries…. I wanna get a scratch and sniff card with his scent on it. Then I can smell him even if he isn't near me! Ah.. Maybe I should go steal his bed sheets off his bed and replace them with mine…

"Aelita, are you ok?" I hear Odd ask from outside my daydream. I blinked out of my thoughts and felt blood rush to my cheeks.

"Y-Yeah! Of course!" I stumbled over words. Why was I thinking about how Jeremy smelled at a time like this? I have more important things to think about! Then again… This paper kinda smells like hi- STOP IT! Geebus. My mind needs to get back in order. But it does kinda.. Mmm.. Chocolate and strawberries…

"Aelita; you're drooling," Ulrich was the one to snap me from my thoughts this time. I blinked and wiped at my mouth with a sleeve. Ew. I was….

I tacked the glossy lyric back onto the wall and folded Jeremy's letter so all you could see was his signature and the word 'Amarantine'. I pulled another tack out of my drawer and tacked it next to the letters. This could have something to do with those weird letters. I could call Jeremy and lightly bring it up in conversation…. Hrn… I wonder if that'll work…

I didn't end up calling him until Sunday, however. I was seriously unsure of the time in the US, although I called around 6:45 PM my time. This turned out to be a bad time, seeing as he sounded as though I woke him. He then told me it was about 2:45 in the morning. I apologized and threw on a jacket to head down to the factory to kill time. I needed to figure out what my friend and that new friend of his did. Ohh, that just makes me so mad! Who does that girl think she is anyway? I saw him first! …. Maybe Jeremy didn't tell her about me or the others. Maybe he WANTED something to happen between them… No! Jeremy wouldn't do that… Never. At least… I don't think he would.

I plopped myself down into the computer chair after I exited the elevator. I flexed my fingers before typing in a complicated code. It took a while to connect, but after waiting it connected into Jeremy's webcam on his laptop. A window popped up and showed me a visual of the room. I blinked when an image of a concentrating blonde appeared instead of a darkened room. He was… working? Oh geeze.. I must have woke him up and he couldn't go back to sleep. Sorry Jer…

I growled. A brown haired girl's head had appeared over his shoulder. I wish I could listen to them talk. I pushed my brows inward and switched to the screen on my left. Odd had installed an Instant messaging program we all had screen names on. I logged on and switched my view back to the video of Jeremy and the girl. Good, he was online. He looked bewildered by my appearance on the chat program. I was never usually online. I felt my lips curl up slightly in a smirk.

_Jeremy._ I typed.

_Aelita! What are you doing online?_ Jeremy typed back. The girl was asking him a question. God how I wish I could hack into the microphone on his laptop.

_Good question. I thought you were asleep._

_I couldn't sleep._

_Really? Then why is there a girl standing over your shoulder?_

Another smirk crossed my face as he choked on his water. He spluttered it over onto the floor and the girl looked concerned. He wiped his mouth and looked to reassure the brunette before typing a response to my question.

_There isn't anyone else up!_ He looked straight at me from the window, biting his lip. He was obviously horrified I could know such a thing when he was no where near me.

_Don't lie to me, Jeremy. I know someone else is up._ I responded, getting aggravated. He never lies to me… I think. I'm pretty sure. He better not lie to me often.

_How can you be so sure?_ He typed fast with his long, skinny, delicate fingers. I like his fingers. His whole hand was unique. Darnit, there I go again.

_I hacked your webcam, duh. For someone as smart as you, you're not very bright._ I snickered as he stared, his mouth gaping open right at the screen. It took him a moment to regain his composer. Mind you, that was AFTER the brunette flicked his cheek. He started to type again.

_But my computer can't do that. _He argued. Once again, he wasn't thinking too far outside the box.

_Well duh. I'm at the factory. Hold on, Ulrich's calling me._ I pulled my phone out of my pocket just as an activated tower alert popped up on the screen.

"Aelita! Xana's-"Ulrich didn't have to finish his sentence. I finished it for him.

"-Attacking? I know, I'm at the factory.What's he taken over?"

"The stuff in the cafeteria. Odd and I almost got stabbed in the face by a carving knife a few moments ago."

"Ok, evacuate the cafeteria and get down here as quick as possible! Call Yumi, also." I hung up and looked back at my screen. The brunette leaned over and kissed Jeremy on the cheek. Jeremy turned pink and smiled over at the girl, kissing her cheek back. I steamed and tears blurred my vision as I typed furiously. This caused quite a few typos.

_JERMY BELPOIS IM SLITL WTACHNIG! WHTA WAS THAT, HUH!_

I saw Jeremy cover his mouth before looking at his keyboard while he typed with those darn fingers. The computer beeped and let me know someone had hacked the computer's security camera. I knew he could see me upset now. I hated to cry around him; I wiped off my eyes but I couldn't wipe the furious expression from my face. The girl leaned over and typed a message to me.

_Don't get so upset, Princess, we do that all the time._ She typed. Oh, now THAT just set me off more. I didn't try to hide my tears or anger. Jeremy and that.. that SACK needed to see how upset I was now. How DARE she call me Princess!

_OH! Is that it then! THANKS A LOT, JEREMY! Now, not only is Ulrich and Odd being attacked by silverware and stuff being CONTROLLED BY XANA, I feel like someone ripped my heart out. THANK YOU. Goodbye! _I signed out of the messenger and disconnected my side of the hack before Jeremy could respond. I didn't care if he could still see me; all he would be able to see was and back of the computer chair. Luckily, Ulrich, Odd and Yumi arrived just as I stopped crying. I span back around and glared at the screen before starting the materialization program.

I felt the all too familiar sensation of being virtualized in only a few moments. The tower was in the forest region, a place that had been inactive for a while. We didn't know why, Xana was being awfully weird lately. I really wasn't in the mood. Odd and Yumi joined me in Lyoko just seconds later. I spotted the tower, and we were off.

The battle was normal; Xana giving us grief with Roachsters and the Scyphozoa and all that jazz. Odd was devirtualized first as usual, and Yumi barely cut me free from the jelly-fish monster. I made it into the tower, and deactivated it.

Wind rushed in my ears, sending me whirling through a vortex of dizzying colors. My scanner opened, and I was greeted by the floor as I tripped. Darn it.. I always do that…

"Jeremy, while you're still awake, I want to tell you something," I said through my phone as I walked back to the school with Odd. I heard Jeremy yawn on the other end and the sound of his laptop clicking shut.

"I want to tell you something also," he said.

"Ok, you go first."

"Earlier.. With, me and Gabbie-"

"'Gabbie'?"

"The girl. Ya see, it's tradition in their family to kiss each other on the cheek before going to bed. It's like saying 'Good night'. I'm sorry if it upset you."

"Oh.. It's really no problem. I don't know why I got so worked up anyway. It was just a silly kiss."

"….. So what did you want to tell me?"

I explained to him about the lyrics I've received, about the blonde hair, and how the end greeting on his letter matched the word in one of the lyrics. He was silent for a moment before responding.

"That's weird. So it wasn't Odd, and I know it wasn't me," he sounded really tired. Maybe I should let him sleep.

"We can talk later. I'll let you sleep."

"Ok. Thanks, Ai. Talk to you tomorrow."

I hung up and smiled slightly as I entered the school. Cool. He wasn't with someone else. Hopefully we'll think of who this anonymous author is. I heard Odd snicker and I turned my head. He just smiled at me and held up his index and middle finger. I pushed my brows inward.

"What?" I asked. He put rested his arm on my shoulder.

"You two are so blind towards each other," he said simply. I stopped walking and stared at Odd's back as he continued walking. What was THAT supposed to mean? I stared at Odd for another moment before jogging to catch back up.

I spent pretty much the rest of the night staring at my phone. Occasionally I would glance at my clock as the time clicked by.

I was awoken by my cell echoing off my walls. Oh crap.. Did I fall asleep? Geeze I'm tired. I sat up with a yawn, and then picked my cell phone off my end table. I asked whoever was calling me why they called at 3 something in the morning.

"Oh, sorry. But you asked me to call… I hope I didn't wake you," Jeremy's voice sounded alert and well-rested on the other line. I sat up straight and tried to sound as awake as possible.

"Oh, it's you. Don't worry-" My sentence was interrupted by another yawn. "-you didn't wake me."

I sat against my wall and we talked about the lyrics I had received for almost an hour. I was drifting slightly towards the end of our conversation, although I had a creepy image of Nicholas engraved in my mind after Jeremy suggested it was him.

"I should be the one to let you go back to sleep now," Jeremy woke me from a drift into slumber. I blinked and shook my head.

"No no, I'm ok. I'm awake," I argued, although a yawn escaped my mouth for the 6th time.

"Nah, it's 4 o'clock in the morning over there, right? I've kept you up to long."

"But…"

"I'll call later and we'll talk more, ok?"

"But I-"

"Goodbye, Aelita."

I let out a noise of shock. He hung up on me! My head hit the wall lightly and I groaned. My eyelids felt very heavy.. I drifted off once more as I sat against my wall.

Jeremy never called back. Another week went by before anything of importance happened. Ok, that's a lie. On Wednesday I got another letter. Same as the last; gold and White, no return address. This one was delivered to my door after dinner, however. There was no angry Sissi shoving the envelope at me. I walked up to Ulrich and Odd's room and sat in their room with my phone to my ear as I read.

"_When the day is over  
There's a heart a little colder;  
Someone said goodbye,  
But you don't know why.  
Somewhere there is someone keeping  
All the tears they have been weeping,  
Someone said goodbye,  
But you don't know why. _

Is there a reason  
Why a broken heart begins to cry?  
Is there a reason  
You were lost although you don't know why?  
Give me a reason  
Why you never want to say goodbye.  
If there's a reason,  
I don't know why.

Always looking for a meaning,  
All the time you keep believing,  
But I don't know why  
You won't say goodbye.  
Is there a reason  
Why a broken dream can never fly?  
Is there a reason  
You believe and then you close your eyes?  
Give me a reason  
Why you hide away so much inside.  
If there's a reason,  
I don't know why.

_--Better to smile and get a new glass than to cry over a broken one._"

I listened to Yumi stutter on the other line. I guess she couldn't think of something to say about this one. I looked at the boys; they didn't return the glances. Odd stared at the glossy paper, and Ulrich leaned against the wall while he chewed on a straw. I glanced back at the paper.

"So what do you guys make of it?" I asked, speaking into my phone also.

"… Nothing really. It's just like the others," Yumi said. "Any clues?"

I opened the envelope and looked around. "Nope, nothing."

"Hm. This person was probably careful to cover his tracks if he heard us or saw you taking the hair out of the envelope," Odd said, bending down to pick up Kiwi. I heard a beep coming form my phone and I unstuck it from my ear. Jeremy was calling..

"Yumi, I gotta go. Jeremy's calling," I said.

"Ok, talk to you later." Yumi hung up and I answered Jeremy's side of the call.

"Finally you call back."

"Xana's attacking. Better hurry to the factory," Jeremy said from across the seas.

"Ok. We'll head there now," I responded, slightly annoyed by how he only called to tell Xana had woken up again. I hung up on his this time and turned to the others. "Xana's attacking. I'm going to put this in my room and meet you at the factory."

I jogged from the room and hopped down the steps to the girls' dorm two at a time. I pushed open my door and hovered my hand over my tacks in my desk drawer. I gasped and jumped back as one, then another and another jumped to life. I backed up, dropping the thick paper in my hand. The army of thumb tacks hopped onto my desk before flinging themselves at me.

**W00t. Cliffhanger, neh? Hope you liked it! If you review I'll give you cookies.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Author Anonymous**

**Part 3**

-hands everyone a cookie- Sorry! I would have responded to your reviews, but I kinda got really lazy…

**Song 1: **'Masquerade' from 'The Phantom Of The Opera'. **How Lyrics Were Written:** Completely cut up to make it shorter

I lunged towards my desk and heard the tacks stick into the wall. I braced myself with my hands and looked back as they tried to unwedge themselves. I squeaked and held up a binder as a shield as a fresh group of tacks flung themselves at me. Oh crap…. This is not good. If I don't get down to the factory who knows what else could happen. It could be thumb tacks now, but it could turn into more dangerous things.

I threw the binder at another group of tacks and stood too quickly. The liquid in my ears became unbalanced and a wave of dizziness washed over my head. I stumbled and all went silent. Any and all tacks had formed a pointy cloud in front of me, just waiting for the right moment to strike. I put a hand on my head as my vision swam. A tack shot at me; the others followed in pursuit. I shut my eyes.

The sound of something pelting cork made me open my eyes. The liquid in my ears became balanced and I looked up at Ulrich's backside. He was holding a bulletin board covered in the rampaging tacks. He looked back at me and smiled.

"Ready to go, Princess?"

I smiled back and nodded.

This battle in Lyoko was really weird…. Xana didn't even send the Scyphozoa. He looked to be concentrating more on draining all my life points than anything else. Yumi said it was probably because he realized Jeremy wasn't there and he wanted to make him miserable, but win at the same. I didn't really get what she was talking about… Odd just made another comment about being blind and I whapped him upside his head.

Even so, I was able to deactivate the tower and everything was returned to normal. We sat in the factory afterwards, trying to figure out how to work the jump back in time program in case we needed it. We'd looked through Jeremy's manuals, but none of his instructions made much sense to any one of us. We eventually gave up.

I sat on my bed once more, reading and looking over the letters I had received. My friends had told me I was looking too far into this, but I didn't agree. My curiosity kept me hooked, and it would stay like that until I find out who wrote them. I tacked the first letter back on the wall and pulled the second letter down, along with Jeremy's letter. Hrn….. Well, I'd have to take his word on him not being apart of this. I've read some of his attempts at poems and lyrics… Two words: Not. Pretty. He can't write for beans. Well, not beans LITERALLY. Like… Yeah, you get my point.

As I tacked the papers back in their places, someone knocked on the door.

"Light's out, Stones," Jim said, opening the door. I smiled softly and nodded. Had I really been looking at those for that long? Wow… I quickly changed, plugged my phone into the wall to charge, and flicked my light off.

I received another letter from Jeremy the next day. I slid a finger under the two layers of paper that made up the envelope and pulled out the scribbled on note paper. His familiar writing comforted me slightly and gave a sense he was near. I looked down the hall before putting my nose to the paper. Darn. It doesn't smell like him. I put the letter away into my bag and decided to read it aloud at breakfast while the others are with me.

"_Dear Aelita, Odd, Ulrich, and Yumi,  
__Hi guys! I'm writing you with another update on what's going on over here in the United States.  
__I really haven't seen much of Gabbie; she's moving to a new house. It's just down the street, actually, but they have a lot of furniture and stuff in their house it's taking a while to move it all. Her new house is really nice. It's very large.  
__My mom took my father and I to a big fancy party the other day. It was kinda… boring. I would have enjoyed it if you guys were there. The only kids there close to my age was Gabbie, two girls named Alyssa and Madison, and a pair of twin boys named Kevin and Kyle. It turned out Madison, Kevin and Kyle were all related… They fought a lot.. And uh.. Broke a lot of wine glasses… Their 21 year old sister Lailieand her fiancé Mace had to separate them..  
__I don't mean to bore you all, so I'll_" The rest of the letter was quite smudged with what looked to be dried water, and completely illegible. The only thing partly legible was his signature: _Hugs, Jeremy_.

I looked up at my friends once more, then held the letter out to them. Ulrich took it from my hands and Odd leaned over to look at it. Odd plucked it forcefully out of his friend's hands and held it to his face.

"Either someone flicked saltwater on it or he was crying," Odd said, pulling the paper from his nose. He held it back out to me. I blinked and took it back.

"How can you tell?" I asked, examining the rubbed at paper closer.

"It smells like it," the blonde responded, taking a humongous bite out of his oatmeal. I blinked again and looked at the paper. Why would he be crying? Someone in the house was probably just messing around with water and got the paper wet. Yeah. I silently folded the paper and slipped it back in the envelope.

Today was really weird, actually. It was full of little mysteries. Jeremy's letter still kinda puzzled me and I tried to decipher it when I was bored in class. I almost got in trouble for it… Then, at lunch Sissi smacked my forehead, seeming to try and stick the envelope in her hand to it… Yumi told her to buzz off and Sissi dropped the envelope in my lap before stalking away. I blinked and picked the gold and white letter off my dress.

"Another one? So soon?" Ulrich asked, leaning over.

"I guess. I wonder why," I responded, slipping my finger into the paper. I pulled out the glossy paper and read it a loud.

"_Masquerade!  
Paper faces on parade  
Masquerade!  
Hide your face  
so the world will never find you  
Masquerade!  
Flash of mauve  
Splash of puce  
Green and black  
Queen and priest  
Trace of rouge  
Face of beast  
Faces  
Take your turn, take a ride  
on the merry-go-round  
in an inhuman race  
True is false  
Who is who?  
Ace of hearts  
Face of clown  
Faces  
__But who can name the face?  
Masquerade!  
Burning glances,  
__Turning heads  
Masquerade!  
Seething shadows  
breathing lies  
Masquerade!  
Leering stares  
peering eyes  
Masquerade!  
Run and hide -  
but a face will still pursue you!_

_--Never again, I tell you; never again._"

"..Ok, that made no sense at all," Yumi commented, setting her fork down.

"Agreed. What kind of moron writes about a Masquerade?" Odd asked, poking at his spinach salad.

"What I don't get, is how this one is completely different from the others," I said, looking up from the paper. The three friends of mine exchanged glances. "The other ones have at least something in common with love, but this one doesn't."

"Hrn. Maybe they started making this a sort of hobby for them," Ulrich suggested, leaning back a little. I looked back at the paper before folding it and putting it in the equally thick envelope. This was awfully strange. I usually only receive an unmarked letter once a week.. but now I've received two. It's very weird….

**Ahh.. Sorry for the shortness, I'm at a block right now. x.X Hopefully part 3 will be out soon!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Author Anonymous  
****Part 4**

**Song: **'Annie' by Vanessa Carlton. **How Lyrics Were Written:** Cut up to be shorter; Some words added and cut to make more sense.

"…And then I got one yesterday as well," I said into my phone.

"That's weird. And you said you usually only get one a week?" Jeremy answered back.

"Mm-hm. Oh hey, that reminds me. The end of your last letter was smeared and completely illegible," I said, traveling down the hall to my dorm room. "What happened?"

The other line was completely silent for about a minute before Jeremy answered. "Oh.. Nothing. I just didn't have an eraser."

"So you used water?" I stuck the key in the door and went inside.

"Uh.. Uhm…"

"C'mon Jeremy, just tell me what's going on. I've told you a zillion times you can talk to me about anything."

More silence. After a moment I heard a sob and a loud sniff. I blinked and sat down at my computer. "Jeremy?"

"G-g-g-ga… gabb…"

"What?"

"Gabb…. Gabbie.."

"What about Gabbie?"

"Gabbie's…. d-d-d…"

"Gabbie's what?"

"Sh-she's.. D-d-.. dying.."

I blinked in confusion. "…What?"

"Gabbie had an attack," Jeremy sounded completely in tears. "They found that she has cardiac enlargement and it's killing her."

I was completely speechless. Cardiac… Enlargement? But.. A girl our age shouldn't have that kind of problem. That's very irregular. Maybe it's a genetic thing?

"Jeremy.. I…," I stammered, not knowing what to say. "I'm sorry…"

"You know, Aelita…" Jeremy said, sounding to have stopped crying. "I've been.. thinking."

"About what?" I asked, realizing I've used the word 'what' in almost every sentence.

"What if.. There was another planet out there, and the creatures on it had no eyes. How would they get around?"

"You're smart enough to know this Jeremy. They'd use their hearing, touch and smell to get around."

"But they can't see anything; their planet; each other; nothing. They could walk right off a cliff or something and kill themselves."

"Then… They couldn't?"

"And.. When they die, they gain the other gift. They get sight. What if when we die, we get another gift?"

"Well…"

"And we can't explain the gift to those who don't have it. It'd be like trying to tell the people on the planet with no eyes what seeing is."

I grew silent. I truthfully didn't know what to say.

"I'd be like trying to tell a human how to breathe when they're drowning," Jeremy sounded on the verge of tears again. "Or how to live when their world shatters."

"I.. I..," I stammered once more. He's really close to her…. I wish I knew what to say. I don't know this girl, so I can't grieve. He sounds so heartbroken; I just don't know what to do. It's hard to comfort someone who isn't standing before you. You can't hug them; you can't cradle them warmly in your arms and tell them it's ok. You can't even see them; you can't reach out and wipe away their tears. "I wish.. I could help.."

"I want to come home…" I barely heard my friend through the phone. I jumped at the sound of a fist hitting something. "I don't want to be here. I don't want to sit here and do nothing while she suffers! I can't… I can't just watch her die! I just can't!"

"I understand Jeremy, but.." I felt my eyes start watering. He… He loved her, didn't he? But.. I love him… I used to be so sure he liked me back. All those times.. I guess he didn't.. I guess he really didn't care for me the same way I care for him.. I tried to choke back a sob, but it didn't work. "I'll call you later." My voice was hoarse and I hung up. And span away from my computer screen and put the hand with the phone in it across my waist. I dug my teeth into the second knuckles on the other hand as a tear tickled at the small hairs on my face.

It was already Wednesday again in the blink of an eye.

The weekend had gone by so fast. I hadn't spoken to Jeremy, and Xana wasquiet once more. I silently worried about my crush almost 24/7, and Gabbie lingered there as well. I was slightly jealous of her; although I can't be sure Jeremy likes her in that way. I really shouldn't be mad about it right now, it isn't the time. Gabbie could already be dead for all I know, and I don't want that; even if Jeremy likes her. I bet there's a good reason why he likes her, one that out ranks me.

An office T.A. walked into my classroom and handed the teacher a white and gold envelope. The teacher dismissed the T.A. and looked at the envelope.

"Aelita; this is for you," he droned, holding out the letter. I blinked and stood, almost tripping over my backpack as I went to get the folded paper. I took it and sat back down, staring absent-mindedly at the writing.

"What is it?" Ulrich asked from behind.

"Another letter," I mumbled to him, turning the envelope over.

"Ah, your stalker hath wrote again than, eh?" Odd joked. I didn't say anything. Instead, I slipped my finger under the flap and tore it open. The lights above me reflected off the glossy surface and made it slightly hard to read.

_Watch her as she flew deep within the blue  
A day out from the county I.C.U.  
There's nothing you can do  
Someone gently says to you  
The doctor says that now it won't be long  
I try and live up til the moment  
__and I hope that I don't blow it  
And what is it in me that she hears?  
It's just a song she likes  
Her little arms around my neck  
And a dying girl whispers in my ear. _

Tell me now can you feel it?  
I've been keeping company with a ghost  
She comes to me like a piece of summer  
She comes to me on the days when I need it most

Well summer dies and nothing lasts forever  
And you're so fine, the way you stand up to your fears  
The summer dies and its just moments we have together  
I'd give my bones for you to get a few more years  
For you and I  
There's more than life than trying to survive

Stronger than the hands that hold you  
You sing along to the song on the radio  
If I drank too much when I am with this  
Just this once would you forgive this

And hold on, the days gone by  
Tell me now can you feel it?  
I can't keep this all to myself  
She's elegant and she means it

Get a few more years for you and I  
There's more to life than trying to survive  
Watch her as she flew deep within the blue  
Watch her as she slips away from you  
I'll keep fingers crossed always for you

_-- I'm sorry… This one isn't directed towards you….._

..Uh.. what? Are they saying that this one was writing about someone else, but they sent it to me anyway?

"What's it say?" Ulrich's curious whisper tore me from my thoughts.

"Take a look," I murmured, handing him the thick paper over my shoulder. I stared blankly at my notebook. Geeze… Everything is so confusing right now. I have no idea who this person who keeps writing me is.. I'm stuck between being angered or sympathetic towards Jeremy; I have no idea what I'm supposed to be doing right now…

"Wow, this person must be sad right now," Odd whispered. I felt the paper tap my shoulder. With a great amount of laziness, I reached up and took it.

On Saturday I received a splotched letter from Jeremy saying Gabbie had died. According to the letter, he had been visiting her in the hospital at the time when her heart failed. By the way his writing was, I guessed he was slightly traumatized by the suddenness of it all. He said that by the time the doctors got to her room he was halfway down the hall to the elevators.

I really should call him.

"Jeremy? It's Aelita. Please call me back; I would really like to speak to you. Bye," I pulled the phone away form my ear and pressed the red END key. I sighed deeply through my nose and stared at my phone as I sat backwards on a bench in the Quad.

"No luck?" Yumi asked, looking over from her place on top of the backrest of the same bench. I shook my head.

"Nope; none," I said, shaking my head.

"I guess this Gabbie girl really meant a lot to him, huh?" Ulrich asked, plopping himself down next to me. I nodded.

"Yes. She's the only reason he's enjoyed staying in America. She was his only friend there, really."

"We should hop on a plane and go see him," Odd suggested, putting a thumb into the air.

"Except that we don't have enough money to do that," Ulrich said glancing at his blonde friend.

"Or the time; we have school, in case you didn't notice," Yumi added.

"Hey hey, it was only a suggestion," Odd advocated. Jeremy's favorite song danced through our ears as my phone rang. I'd figured out a way to set a different ring-tone for each person on your contacts list, and this one played when Jeremy called. I hit the green SEND key and put the phone up to my ear.

"Jeremy?"

"Hi Aelita. You… wanted to talk to me?" Jeremy's voice sounded slightly weary.

"Uh-huh. I'm really sorry about Gabbie. I know how much she meant to you."

"It's not very easy, but I'm getting over it. I'd never actually seen someone die before.." He sighed. "I wish I could have spent more time with her."

"Ironic, isn't it?"

"What's ironic?"

"You go to America because your uncle died… And now, you've lost another loved one. Is your family going to stay for her memorial?"

"Yes. In fact, it's tomorrow afternoon."

"Is she going to be cremated?"

"Buried. We're staying for that as well, then we're coming home Monday."

"I thought you were coming home later than that."

"My mom was persuaded otherwise. Listen, I have to go. I'll talk to you Monday; say hi to the others for me."

"Alright. Talk to you later."

I hit the END key once more and looked at my friends. I smiled at them and looked to send them into a state of confusion. "Jeremy says hi, and that he's coming home Monday."

"Really? He is? That's so great!" Yumi said, snapping out of her confusion. "Did he sound like he was getting over Gabbie's death?"

"Yes. He's still quite sad, but I know he'll be ok once he gets back home."

Sunday was one fat bore. It dragged on and on, but I did make progress on my anonymous writer. In fact Sunday wasn't THAT boring. I spent most of the time going over my letters. I was making an ENORMOUS of headway on the writer.

I looked at second lyric received, and the second letter from Jeremy. Hey wait… In Jeremy's second letter it talks about him first meeting Gabbie, and at the end of the second lyric it says how some other girl isn't as pretty as me, and it's about different things Love can do to you.. Hrn… I took the third lyric off my wall and looked at it. '_Someone said goodbye, but you don't know why_'…. Didn't I get hung-up on my Jeremy two days before I got this? A small smirk curled onto my face as I tore through the letters, looking for the third letter Jeremy sent. After finding it I pulled the fourth lyric off the wall. '_Masquerade_'…. '_My mom took my father and I too a big, fancy party the other day_'.. Oh my gosh. I pulled out the most recent lyric and thought back on a conversation. '_And a dying girl whispers in my ear_'…. '_Sh-She's.. D-d-..dying_'… '_..For you to get a few more years for you and I_'… '_I wish I could've spent more time with her.._'

Those last words echoed through my head and I jumped up. All the letters and papers scattered across my lap fluttered everywhere and I was out the door in a flash. Icrashed into Odd on the way down the hallway and was almost in a sate of hysteria.

"IT'S JEREMY!" I screamed, seizing the front of his purple shirt and bringing his face close to mine.

**Wow. Poor Odd. xD Thanks for all your loverly reviews and support through my story, and I hope this next, and final, chapter answers any un-answered questions lurking in the back of your mind. And who knows? Maybe 'it' ISN'T Jeremy.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Author Anonymous**

**Part 5**

No Songs this time. Sorry!

"Whoa whoa, take it easy, Princess," Odd said, pushing my hands from his shirt. "What are you talking about?"

"The letters! Letters! Jeremy! Him!" I said, slowly leaving my state of hysteria.

"What?" Odd asked, raising a brow. "Look, let's go get Ulrich and sit down."

I traveled the rest of the way to Odd and Ulrich's dorm room in complete silence.

"Now, tell us exactly what's going on," Ulrich said after I sat down and took a deep breath.

Day faded into night; I fell a sleep watching my TV. At about 3 in the morning Sissi came in complaining about how loud it was (since I accidentally feel a sleep on the Volume UP button) and I turned it off. I completely forgot about Jeremy returning home 'today', and was startled at first when Yumi asked if I was excited before the bell rang for class. I could hardly sit still at all during class, and was asked once by a teacher if I had to use the restroom. I was just so excited and ecstatic; Jeremy was coming back! I'd finally be able to see him again!

And then….. He never showed.

I waited all through school, Xana's attack (we kicked his butt again), after school, dinner, even Jim's rounds of turning everyone's lights out.

He never came.

I was awoken at 4:45 AM Tuesday morning by my cell phone chirping Jeremy's favorite song. I pushed my arm from the side of the mattress and groped around for the phone. Finally finding it, I tiredly put it to my ear and answered. "'elloo?"

"Aelita. Get up."

I blinked at the unfamiliar male voice, sitting up suddenly. It had a strong American accent, and sounded tired and out of breath. I listened for a moment, then put my feet on the floor. "Ok…"

"Go.. And turn on the light…"

I did as the voice told, walking swiftly to the light switch and flicking it on. "Alright……"

"Unlock your door….."

"Who are you?"

"Unlock your door…" the person on the other line repeated.

"Tell me who you are and I might!"

"If you stop.. Contradicting me you'll know."

I gritted my teeth and knew I'd probably regret unlocking my door, but did so anyway. He obviously heard the click, because he spoke the next direction.

"Close your eyes…. And open the door."

"Why would I do that?" I asked, getting a little irritated. This had BETTER not be one of those stupid calls people get in those slasher movies.

"Just do what I say…" the male sounded a great deal more tired, and not wanting to have to repeat himself. I groaned loudly, closing my eyes and feeling for the doorknob. I twisted it, and stood silently in the doorway. I waited silently, half expecting something to tear through my skin and kill me or something.

"Now, open your eyes," this time, the voice sounded clearer and double-track. I opened my eyes, blinked once, then squealed.

"JEREMY!" I yelled, throwing my arms around my friend's neck and pulling him into a tight hug. "Welcome home!" Jeremy chuckled tiredly and wrapped his arms around me.

"It's good to be back," he said. I released him and pulled back, looking him up and down. He was wearing two-layer long-sleeved shirt, dark blue and white to be exact, with 'NYC' stitched into the front, and a pair of loose fitting blue jeans that almost completely covered his blue shoes.

"Wow. A couple of weeks in America can really change a person," I stated, motioning to my friend's clothing. "I mean, you have one thick American accent and you're wearing something completely different than usual!"

We chatted for a moment longer before we heard Jim coming. I quickly shut off my light and headed back inside as Jeremy quickly started for his dorm on the floor below. I shut my door and crawled back into bed, setting my phone on the end table. With a sigh of relief that Jeremy was finally home and just down the stairs, I shut my eyes and drifted into a light sleep.

"Welcome back, Einstein!" Odd greeted Jeremy (who was back in his trademark turtleneck and capris) in the morning as we walked to breakfast. He slammed his hand onto Jeremy's back and sent him forward a step or two.

"Thanks, Odd. I missed your hand in my back," Jeremy said sarcastically, still with an American accent.

"Whoa, dude, you sound American," Odd stated, pointing out the obvious.

"I guess that's what happens when you kinda LIVE there for weeks," Ulrich said, snickering.

"You're really quiet, Ai. Something wrong?" Jeremy asked, leaning over to look at me. I took my eyes from their focus of the floor and looked at him. Nothing was really wrong, but I glowered at him. My male friends gave me a bewildered expression, and I continued onward after they stopped.

"What did I do?" I heard Jeremy ask the others as I got father away from them. I felt a grin curl at my lips. Us three had conspiracized the night before, and we had it all planned out. I'd act all mad at Jeremy and such, then make up with him at the end of the day, tell him I knew the letters were from him, and hopefully express my feelings for him. Geeze I hope he feels the same…. The others had tried to reassure me, but I didn't know whether to believe them or not.

Breakfast was quiet at my end. The others were happy and chatty and really glad Jeremy was back. Don't get me wrong, I was REALLY happy Jeremy was back too, but I was being forced to retain my enthusiasm because of my plot. I just quickly ate through my breakfast and went to find Yumi, to tell her the good news and fill her in on the plan.

Three-quarters through the day, a welcoming committee showed up.

We were sitting in Math when I heard Jeremy's laptop beep. I was probably the only one who heard it, since the class period was unofficially dubbed, "Party Day" and everything was loud and hectic. I told the others, and we slipped out of the mess and into the hallway.

"We better hurry," Jeremy said. I nodded and waited for the others to start running before I did. I eventually passed them, and waited at the manhole to the sewers for them to arrive. Ulrich and Odd arrived shortly after I did, but Jeremy wasn't with them. We waited. Yumi showed a couple of moments later. We still waited.

"Where's Jeremy?" I asked, turning to my friends.

"I thought he was with you guys; he was the one who called me," Yumi responded with a shrug. This isn't like him… Jeremy doesn't ditch out like that on us, especially when it's a XANA attack. I silently panicked. What if something happened to him! "Guys we have to go find him!"

We searched for about 30 minutes, although it felt more like 2 hours. What we found completely terrified me.

There he was….. Suspended between four widely spread apart trees. A mass of vines blocked our path from him, as well as kept Jeremy in place. A vine was wrapped around each wrist and ankle, as well as around his neck. He looked to be in one massive amount of pain, probably because each limb was pulled tight, as if to stretch him. The mass of vines around him (and blocking us) waved through a nonexistent wind. The vines around his wrists pulled his arms to the front of his body, making the two vines connect. After a brief moment the vines snapped back, and Jeremy's left shoulder began to fade from blue to crimson.

"No Aelita come back!" I heard Ulrich call after me as I jumped over a vine to get to my friend. I didn't respond. I leapt over another vine before tripping and slicing open the sleeve of my long-sleeve pink shirt. I pushed myself onto my hands and put a hand to my head. I looked up in time to see a vine curl threateningly before launching itself. I think I screamed, but force exerted on my neck from someone snatching me backwards by the collar caused loss of breath.

I was lying just outside the mass of vines, with three of my friends standing over me. Yumi pulled me up by the arm and pulled me in the direction of the sewer entrance to the factory. I opened my mouth to protest, but Ulrich shushed me.

"Odd's going to stay and try to get Jeremy out; we're going to Lyoko to deactivate the tower," he said, breaking into a run. I nodded and ran after him, followed by Yumi.

I stepped into my scanner just in time before the doors shut. A light scanned my body and the sensation of bubbles popping overwhelmed me. Wind rushed through my ears…. There was a loud snap, a quick jolt of what could have been described as pain, and everything went numb. I heard the faint noise of pixels before I dropped onto the mountain region's hard ground.

"Where's the tower?" Yumi asked from the right side.

"Just beyond that rock," I said, pointing. "Sorry, I couldn't bring up the vehicles."

"No problem; we'll go on foot," Ulrich said, bursting into a super-sprint.

I think XANA was too pre-occupied with hurting Jeremy or something, because he never sent out one monster. Not even the Scyphozoa. It was like he just really wanted to kill off Jeremy so much he completely forgot about Lyoko. But that's ok, because I deactivated the tower without any problems; although I really hoped Jeremy was still alive. I was materialized, and Ulrich, Yumi and I headed up the elevator and out of the factory.

We met Jeremy and Odd back at school. The sun was already setting, so Yumi had to depart home. Odd told me Jeremy was in the infirmary, getting his shoulder bandaged. I ran inside, ignoring the fact that my friend was shirtless, and engulfed him in a hug.

"I was so worried! Are you ok?" I asked, pulling back after he flinched with pain.

"Yeah.. A lot better," he responded quietly, rubbing his shoulder. I chuckled nervously.

"Some welcoming committee, huh?" I asked with a lopsided smile.

"If only it hadn't been so painful," Jeremy chuckled.

"I guess Xana just really missed torturing you; he didn't send us even one monster."

"Now, you shouldn't use that shoulder for a while," Yolanda said, exiting the back office with a piece of paper in her hands. "This means no P.E., and if you're left handed, no writing as well." I saw Jeremy roll his eyes.

"Might as well put me in a sling while you're at it," he mumbled.

"That's a great idea," Yolanda responded, obviously hearing. I giggled quietly at Jeremy's sigh.

"I was only joking…" he murmured, slipping his turtleneck back on. Raising his voice for Yolanda to hear, he said, "I only popped the joint out of the socket for a moment and cut myself, no need for a big production. It's not that bad."

"I was joking, Mr. Belpois," Yolanda giggled, shutting a cabinet. "Just be careful, ok?"

Jeremy nodded, and the two of us walked out of the infirmary building and into a pouring rain. We stood in the doorway for a moment, then broke for the cafeteria.

We ate dinner in an awkward silence. Ulrich and Odd had obviously eaten and headed back to their dorm, since they weren't there. We both seemed to be lost in our own thoughts. I picked boredly at my mashed potatoes as I thought about Jeremy, and the end of my plan. Well… The step of making-up was complete… All I have to do now is tell him I know he sent me the letters and that I like him.

Unfortunately, this was easier said than done. If fact, it took me one great amount of energy to tell him. If I remember right, it went a little something like this.

"Jeremy? May I… speak to you in private?" I asked timidly, grasping my hands behind my back. The said boy looked over from his computer, then sent Ulrich and Odd a look that probably meant to say, 'leave'. He nodded, and the two other males left, giving me a thumbs up and a wink. The door shut, and Jeremy turned around in his seat and leaned back, resting his arms on desk behind him.

"What is it?" he asked. I felt my cheeks flush slightly and I reached into my dress pocket. I withdrew the lyrics, and held them out. Jeremy gave me a look of confusion, instead of taking them.

"I know what you did, Einstein," I murmured, shaking the glossy papers when I called him by his nickname. "For someone as smart as you, I would have made it a little less obvious."

Jeremy flushed a bright red; the same way he always does if I get my face to close to his. I couldn't help but grin, although I found myself shaking. He looked at me with concern, but it changed to denial when he crossed his arms.

"Make what a little less obvious? I didn't write those letters," he said. He was lying again. Why does he keep lying to me? I felt tears sting at my eyes and I threw the papers at his feet.

"You wrote them!" I said, raising my voice. "Don't deny it, Jeremy; I know it was you! The blonde hair, the words in the lyrics ALL OF IT CONNECTED to what was happening!"

"Aelita, calm down," Jeremy said, leaning forward and putting out his hands.

"Why should I calm down when you keep LYING to me?" I yelled, feeling salty liquid escape from the eyelids that blinked over my green eye muscle. "You lied about Gabbie, you lied about all of it!"

"Listen to me Aelita!" Jeremy said calmly, standing and taking me by the upper arms. "So what if I wrote you those letters! Gabbie and I were just friends; wouldn't you be heart broken when a close friend of yours dies! I wasn't in love with her; I'm in love with you!"

I sniffed and stared at Jeremy's flushed face. He… Loved me? He really wasn't in love with Gabbie? I can't believe it.. Ever since he called me about her having Cardiac enlargement, I turned down the wrong path.. I was jealous of a dying girl, who my best friend really wasn't in love with..

"Do you… Really love me?" I asked, looking into the ice-blue eyes behind Jeremy's glasses.

"Ever since I first saw you," Jeremy murmured. I threw my arms around him, pulling him into a tight hug. He stood motionless for a moment, and then returned the hug warmly. I sniffed.

There it was; that sweet scent. Why hadn't I smelt it before, when he arrived back from the US? It was like he washed his clothes here in chocolate and strawberries or something, because his American clothing didn't smell so wonderful… I took a deep breath, taking in that wonderful, calming scent before I let go. I realized I was still crying when Jeremy reached out and wiped away a tear from my cheek.

"Sorry.." I murmured, laughing slightly. "I just thought you…"

"Sh…" Jeremy hushed, leaning forward and planting his lips on my cheek. I blinked, a little confused at what had just happened. Jeremy had never even gotten his face that close to mine on his own will, much less kissed my cheek. When he pulled away, I could feel my eyes watering again for a reason I didn't even know.

"Would you hug me again please?" I asked. Jeremy blinked at me, then smiled.

"Yes," he responded, pulling me back into his arms.

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The rest of the page was worn with age. I sighed quietly, wishing I had kept better care of my diaries. I shut the cover of the old red book, looking around the large room. It contained a number of bodies; my husband was a sleep in the reclining chair and my two daughters were a sleep on the couch bed. At the foot of the couch were two young children; my grandchildren. My daughter Rya's kids, to be exact. Bella was not married, and did not have any children. I stood up, grabbing my cane as I did so. I looked at my husband, his hair still a light shade of blonde, despite his old age. I hobbled over to him, moved hair from his forehead, and kissed it lightly.

"Goodnight, Jeremy…" I muttered with a smile.

**OK! I really hope you liked my story, and I probably would have extended it just a bit farther if I was going to use the ending as a Short Story project for my English class. BUT, I think it turned out well, and I am sad to see myself finish this. –cry- Well, Please drop a review and I hope you enjoyed reading as much as I enjoyed writing!**


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